Course syllabus
Course-PM
TEK030 TEK030 Organizational behavior lp4 VT23 (7.5 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Technology Management and Economics
Contact details
Examiner:
Professor Susanne Ollila, susanne.ollila@chalmers.se
Course leaders:
Professor Flemming Norrgren
Professor Susanne Ollila
Course administration:
Carina Jogevik carina.jogevik@chalmers.se
The course is held by the department of Technology Management and Economics, Division for Entrepreneurship & Strategy, situated in Building 3 (south), floor 4, Vasa.
Course purpose
This course deals with organizational behavior and provides knowledge on how organizations – individuals, groups – act and communicate in their organizational context. The course aims at providing an understanding of basic human dynamics in organizations. As such the course provides an opportunity to investigate and experience the relevance to management and administration of topics whose basis can be found in the applied behavioral and social sciences (psychology, sociology, political science, etc.). The course will explore the interactions between individuals and the systems in which they live and work. Individual and group levels of analysis are included in covering such topics as communication, motivation, group development and performance, work design, creativity, quality improvement, individual effectiveness & development, leadership, and inter-group behavior.
Schedule
Course literature
- E-book: Coget and Shani, Behavior in Organizations: An Experiential Approach. 2015. 10th Edition. Published as individual chapters available for download from Amazon. Also the 9th Edition of the book can be used.
- Morgan, G., Imaginization: New Mindsets for Seeing, Organizing, and Managing, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997. (You do not need to buy this book, we have copies you can borrow!)
- For additional optional reading see Module "Suggested reading"
Course design
The underlying assumption is that organizations are living, open systems and that learning is best acquired by multiple means. The focus of this course will be experiential, engaging the student actively in the learning process. In addition to conceptual inputs, the course will utilize structured & unstructured exercises, simulations, case analysis and student's presentations in order to: a) provide you with the opportunity to actually experience the behavioral dynamics being studied; and b) to provide situations wherein you can assess the relevance of the dynamics being studied. Because much of the learning and work towards the achievement of course objectives will occur in the classroom, students must 1) attend class regularly, 2) be fully prepared for class and 3) contribute to the team and class discussions.
Each member of the class will be assigned to a team by the teachers. Teams will be announced Tuesday March 28 (first day in class) and will be for the duration of the whole course. The purpose of the teams in this course is to provide a vehicle for learning about self and human behavior in organizations.
Teams will be assigned specific tasks during the course. Experience has shown that teams are effective if they:
* Schedule times and places for group meetings early in the course and observe those meeting times. Some time is scheduled within the class periods for group meetings but you will need to schedule outside meeting times.
* Provide time for socializing with team members; task teams that focus exclusively on the task without building interpersonal relationships tend to experience problems later on.
* Ask for instructor’s consultation after making an ineffective effort to solve a group problem.
Learning objectives and syllabus
At the end of this course you will be able to:
- explain and utilize some of the most important concepts and theories (perception, motivation, and communication) within behavioral science
Examined by: MCT for the explaining part and Individual 2-page assignment as well as the team term paper for the utilization part
- describe the role of leadership in different situations
Examined by: MCT, Individual 2-page assignment as well as the active contribution (classroom activities: “Donny is the leader” case, “Conflict resolution” role play, and the “LEGO” activity)
- utilize management skills of analysis, problem-definition, decision-making, and implementation
Examined by: Team assignment Morgan, Team term paper, active contribution (classroom activities: “The Till” exercise, Survival case)
- utilize their knowledge on small group dynamics in participating in as well as leading and facilitating groups regarding communication and decision making
Examined by: Team term paper, Team Assignment Morgan, active contribution (classroom activity: “Conflict resolution” role play)
- use some methods and techniques to develop effectiveness in individuals, groups and organizations
Examined by: Fish bowl exercise connected to Team term paper, Individual 2-page assignment, active contribution (classroom activity:Lego tower exercise )
- evaluate and adjust their own behaviour in different work situations due to increased knowledge on themselves and group dynamic processes
Examined by: Active contribution (classroom activities: Learning style inventory, Team performance survey, Learning climate assessment), Team Assignment Morgan, Team term paper
Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.
Examination form
Overview
The course will be examined by means of individual as well as team assignments as listed below. To pass the course you must score a minimum level of points on each assignment (see below). A pass overall requires 43 points or more. Grade 4 and 5 requires 63 and 83 points respectively.
The multiple choice test will be given in the morning of April 18. The Morgan presentations are scheduled during class on May 9 and 10, but the deadline for the hand-in related to the presentation is May 8 for all teams. The individual 2-pager is due May 17 at 17:00. The final team term paper must be handed in at the latest June 2 at 17:00. All written hand-ins are to be handed in via Canvas. You will get more information about these presentations and dates at the course introduction. The specific elements in the grading system and the points assigned to them are as follows:
Assignment Credits Deadline
Individual multiple choice test 20 p (min 8) April 18
Team assignment (Morgan) 20 p (min 8) May 9 & 10 (hand in May 8)
Individual 2-page assignment (Troutville) 15 p (min 5) May 17
Team Term Paper about team dynamics 40 p (min 17) June 2
Active contribution 5 p During classes
Total 100 points
Individual exams. The material for the individual multiple choice test will come from the assigned readings (Shani et al. book Volumes 5, 6, 8, 11 & 12), class activities, lectures and class discussions.
|
Multiple Choice Test |
|
Volume 5 Motivation |
|
Volume 8 Leadership |
|
Volume 11 Teams |
|
Volume 12 Group Dynamics |
The individual examination is also based on an assignment (written 2-pager) that will be posted on Canvas in April. The assignment should be handed in May 17 at 17:00 via Canvas.
Team Assignments. Team assignments will be given throughout the quarter. The following is the one included in the examination: One Morgan chapter per team (chapters 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 & 11). Each team will have to prepare and lead a participative-based class discussion about one of the assigned chapters in the Imaginization Book. The seminar leaders will randomly assign the chapters to teams. The discussion is not to exceed 20 minutes. Before May 8, the team is to submit a 3-pager with a summary and critique (both positive and negative) of the chapter via Canvas. The grading is based on the design and facilitation of the class discussion (14p) as well as the 3-pager (6p).
Team Term Paper. A final team paper will be due June 2 at 17:00 (via Canvas). The assignment will be for the team to apply course concepts to the total team's experience. The paper should include three main parts:
- Description – the case - a description of your teams’ behavior in a selection of activities
- Analysis – case analysis – analysis of your behavior by means of a selection of theories
- Reflection - team and individual reflections on the overall experience.
You may find Act 3-2, p 49 in Shani et al. helpful in how to keep a learning journal throughout the course, it will help you gather material for the team term paper.
For the description part in the team term paper you need to collect data about your behavior in the activities done in class as well as in between classes when you meet to prepare. In the team agree how you want to conduct this data collection. It is advisable to start making notes during activities and after activities. Also consider using other ways to collect this data. information about the team term paper will be provided in class as well as on Canvas. The total amount of pages is limited to 10 pages excluding front page with team name and names of the team members as well as final page in the end for references.
Active contribution and attendance will be evaluated after every morning and afternoon class sessions, and will be measured in terms of both frequency and quality. Measures of quality include the extent to which the contribution indicates thorough preparation and analytic insight, the extent to which it develops links between text material and the case or exercise, the demonstration of effective differing, the facilitation of others in clarifying their point of view, the extent to which the contribution builds on the thinking of others in producing a larger synergistic understanding of the issues being discussed.
Since this course uses exercises, cases, discussions, and presentations as the basis for learning it is of utmost importance that students attend the classes. Students participating actively and contributing to their own as well as the class’ learning will get up to 5 p for active contribution.
Grade viewing. All students have the opportunity to come and look their grading after the course is completed and the grades have been distributed. Students wishing to do this must contact the examiner Susanne Ollila, Susanne.ollila@chalmers.se no later than September 8, 2023.
Course summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|